Bayne
As I pulled into the parking lot of the pack house, I wondered what had happened. All I knew was that Kurt had called for me. He not only used the mental link we shared as pack members and him being my alpha, but he'd taken the time to text me, making sure I was on my way home.
I'd been several hours away, visiting a friend when the call came. As much as I hated leaving long before I'd planned to, an official call from Kurt wasn't something I ignored. Sure, there were others he could have asked for help, and I'm sure he did, but I prided myself on being there when the pack needed me.
The tension was strong through my pack link, and I wondered what was causing it. It was pack-wide, so everyone was aware of whatever was going on. I guess I could have easily called to find out, but something told me it was best to just get back to the pack house and find out for myself.
I parked the car toward the back of the lot and grabbed my backpack out of the passenger seat before heading toward the house. There were more cars than usual in the lot for a weekday, adding to my worry that something big had happened.
I had just hit the front porch when a scent hit me, causing me to stop in my tracks. I inhaled deeply, my wolf coming to full attention in my head as I sniffed again. It couldn't be. I shook my head, doubting what I was smelling, but my wolf didn't doubt it for a second. He howled inside my head and tried to push his way forward.
I resisted, stopping him from forcing the shift. I needed control for the moment. If what I was smelling was true, things just got a lot more intense than I'd ever thought they could.
My mate.
I'd spent my life telling myself I'd never find a mate. I inhaled again, frozen to the spot on the steps as I let my mate's scent wash over me. He-she, it didn't matter the sex, smelled perfect. The scent smelled male, but I couldn't be sure. My pulse raced as I finally gave in to my wolf and ran inside.
I pushed the door open, not stopping to close it as I followed the scent, worry forming as I realized it was coming from Cohen's medical suite. I didn't bother knocking as I slammed against the door, nearly breaking it as I gripped the door handle and pushed it open.
I dropped my backpack on the ground as I skidded to a halt just inside the door and took in my mate for the first time.
His back was to me as he sat naked. My gaze roamed over his dark hair, ivory skin, perfect ass. Even without seeing his face, I was in love.
"No, oh, fuck no. Not now. This can't be happening. Not you. Not now." My mate jumped off the small medical table, collapsing to his knees as soon as his feet hit the ground. "This is so fucked up. This can't be real." He sounded as if he was crying.
"Bayne!" Cohen turned, glaring at me. "I'm with a patient."
"You're with my mate." My voice came out dangerously low and my wolf wanted to attack Cohen for even hinting that we shouldn't be there.
"Your mate?" Cohen stepped back.
"No!" My mate shook his head. "You're wrong. I'm not…" He gripped his head as if in pain.
"I'm not wrong." I slowly took several steps toward him. "My name's Bayne." I came around him, so I could see him for the first time.
A white gauze bandage covered half of his face, wrapping around the back of his head, but it didn't matter. This was my mate. He could have been the most hideous person in the world and I would still want him. But he was far from ugly from what I could tell. Dark hair, a sharp nose, gentle cheekbones, and lips that I couldn't wait to kiss.
"Leave me alone. This can't happen. Why now?" He slammed a fist against his thigh.
I fell to my knees in front of him. "You know I can't leave you alone. I've waited my whole life for you." I reached out and gently touched his arm.
He had to have felt what I did at our first touch. It was an electrical current that shot from his skin through mine. A sense of rightness, of awareness, of perfection. I stared at him in awe, wondering why he wasn't as excited as I was to have found his mate.
"Bayne…" Cohen touched my shoulder.
I glanced up at Cohen. "My mate, Cohen. I've found my mate." I reached out and gently ran my hand down my mate's cheek. "What's your name?"
"Go away. This is hard enough." My mate turned away from my touch. "Why did this have to happen now? Why now?"
"I'm not going away. You know I can't." The mating pull was strong, and while it wasn't final until we'd gone through the mating ceremony, it was still enough that parting would be hard. I wasn't moving until I knew why he wasn't happy about this. "Your name?"
He bowed his head. "Brett."
"Brett…" I liked how his name sounded when I said it. "What happened to you?" I hated that the bandage hid half his face from me, but the scent of his blood was strong in the room. He'd been badly hurt at some point.
"Bayne, even Kurt doesn't know what happened yet. Brett just shifted and is still weak. Give him time, give him space." Cohen stared down at me, concern, and something else in his eyes. Was it pity?
I narrowed my eyes at Cohen.
He shook his head. "Give him time, Bayne. This is all new to him as well. Trust me, I know how hard it is to find your mate and not have him excited like you are, but it sometimes takes time."
Brett wrapped his arms around himself. "If it had happened a week ago… I've wanted my mate for so long, but now, after this, I just can't. I'm sorry." He twisted away, sinking down from his knees to sit on the tile floor.
"Whatever happened, we can get through it. You're not alone. I'll stay with you for it. I want to get to know you, let you get to know me. You're my mate. Don't push me away." I was at a loss to how my mate couldn't be excited about us finding each other.
"Bayne, this is going to—"
The office door opened, and Kurt walked in, staring directly at me. As my alpha, there was no hiding things from him. He knew the second I did that I'd found my mate. He would have felt my emotions through our link.
"Well, congratulations, you two. I just wish it was under better circumstances." He shut the door and walked over to a chair that sat beside the wall. "It's good to see you managed to shift. How are you feeling?"
"I want to die." My mate didn't bother turning to face Kurt when he spoke.
His words were like a knife through my heart. "Die? Why? What happened?" I looked at Cohen and Kurt, hoping someone would tell me what was going on.
"We're about to find out." Kurt sent a wave of affection to me.
It calmed me, but also worried me. If he thought I of all people needed to stay calm, what I was about to hear was going to be bad. I was one of the calmest wolves in the pack.
"Brett, are you able to tell us what happened?" Cohen asked.
Brett shook his head. "I don't really know. Bridger and I were running. Headed to the lake to fish and fuck around. We were almost there when something hit my leg. I stumbled, and then everything went dark. When I woke, I couldn't see. I tried to move, but I was too weak. I smelled my blood and Bridger's blood, but couldn't see how badly either of us were hurt. I tried to cry out for Bridger, but I was so weak. I think I must have faded in and out of consciousness because if today is Monday, I missed several days. We went to the lake on Saturday."
I fisted my hands, anger raging through me that anyone would hurt my mate. "Where's Bridger?"
Kurt shook his head. "He didn't make it. His family will be here tomorrow to pick up his body. They were going to come tonight, but I need Cohen to inspect the body for evidence."
The scent of fear and sadness coming from my mate nearly smothered me. I reached out to hold him, but the moment I made contact with him, he shied away.
"Brett, please, let me help you."
"You don't want me. I'm sorry. I know you don't get a choice in who your mate is, but you don't want me." Brett sounded so tired.
"But I do. Whatever it is, we can get through it. Whatever you're facing, I can help you." I just wanted to pull him into my arms and make everything okay.
"You want this?" Brett reached up, tearing the bandage from his face, letting it drop into his lap before turning his head to me.
I gasped in shock, unable to help myself. If I'd had any warning, I would have held my reaction back, but to see my mate with two empty eye sockets was the last thing I could have expected. I wasn't revolted, just shocked. "Of course, I still want you." I reached up, cupping his face in my hands. "You're my destined mate. Nothing could make me not want you."
"Fuck, why did this have to happen now?" Brett wiped at his nose.
"Here." Cohen handed me a box of tissues.
I took one, placing it in Brett's hand. "Let me hold you?" I didn't wait for him to answer as I slid around, moving so he was sitting on my lap, his back braced against my chest. Holding him was the most amazing thing I'd ever done. Out of all my experiences, nothing compared to wrapping my arms around my mate for the first time. "It's going to be okay."
Brett tensed in my arms, but there was no denying he belonged there. For a moment, he seemed to debate about pushing away, but then slowly started to relax in my arms as I caressed my fingers down his arms and whispered in his ear.
"Brett, did you see anyone, catch scent of anyone?" Cohen asked.
"No, nothing was out of place. There had been deer in the area shortly before we got there. I wanted to hunt, but they were gone. Other than that, everything smelled normal. A few animals around, but nothing that shouldn't have been there. I could smell other shifters weakly, but the scent was days or even weeks old." Brett relaxed against my shoulder.
I wasn't even sure he was aware he was doing it. I just kept my arms around him, holding him securely to me.
"You don't remember the attack?" Kurt asked.
"Nothing. I woke up with broken bones and unable to see." Brett's shoulders heaved as if he was trying to hold back a sob. "I was too weak to move. My head was foggy. I thought it was from the pain, but Cohen said something about how I was shot with a dart?"
Kurt nodded. "We found one in Bridger's body as well. They got him in the front shoulder."
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Kurt. "Someone drugged him before doing this?"
"It looks that way." Kurt blew out a long breath. "I'm waiting to hear back from the wolves I sent up to the scene, but it looks like all the violence was done while Brett and Bridger were unconscious. What troubles me most is the fact that Paul and John said they smelled humans. If humans did this, I don't know what to think. Was it an attack on what they thought were two wolves, or are they aware of what we are, and they are coming after the pack?"
Cohen rubbed his hand over his chin. "From the wounds Brett came in with, the attack was angry. Brett was repeatedly beaten with something heavy, then stabbed numerous times, not to mention his eyes. I've never seen violence like this."
I continued to gently caress my hands down Brett's arms. "Did any humans know about you?"
Brett shook his head. "I've never told any human. My pack is small. We blend in well. I don't think even the elders have any humans they've trusted with what we are."
"Maybe Bridger told someone?" Cohen glanced at Kurt.
"Not that I know of, but we hadn't talked a lot before I came to visit. I mean, we kept in touch on social media and stuff after college, but didn't really share much. I'd just gotten into town on Friday, so we hadn't had a lot of time to catch up. I do know he was dating a human, but he never mentioned having told her our secret."
Kurt frowned. "He was dating a human?"
"I met her Friday night. We were supposed to go out again Saturday night after Bridger and I got back," Brett told us.
"That's highly unusual." I shifted slightly, wrapping one arm around Brett, splaying my hand over his chest. His heart pounded against my palm, and I swear my own heart fell into rhythm with his.
"He said she liked it rough, and that he didn't have to hold back with her like he did with other girls." Brett leaned back, allowing me to support him even more.
"Shit, that isn't good." I glanced at Kurt. Most shifters avoided sex with humans because we liked it rougher, and it was hard to resist biting someone during orgasm. It was possible to hold back, to keep from allowing our wolves to come forward at that point, but there was always a risk.
"Do you remember her name?" Kurt asked.
"Beth. He didn't say much about her other than sex was hot, and she loved to submit to him. In college, we… I mean Bridger was into some kinky stuff. He liked rougher sex. Liked pushing limits with the girls he dated."
I didn't miss that he'd said we, and that had my blood rushing as I wondered what Brett was into. It was only the fact that he was still injured and recovering, and that we'd just met that kept me from picking him up and taking him somewhere we could be alone so I could find out.
"And these were human women?" Kurt asked.
"Almost always. We went to school in San Diego. There wasn't a pack very close that we could associate with. We'd go up north from time to time. The few wolves in the area around our school were mostly lone wolves. There was a small pack, but they weren't very social or welcoming. They offered to let us run with them once a month, but other than that we never saw them." Brett reached up to rub his eyes, but Cohen reached over and stopped him.
"I need to wrap your eyes again." Cohen stood and started to gather supplies.
"If he ever lost control of his wolf, he never told me, but then again, that's not something I think he would share. It would mean he wasn't in control, and for Bridger, control meant everything." Brett leaned a little harder against me.
"He needs rest, Kurt." As much as I wanted to find whoever attacked Brett, my biggest concern was for my mate. He needed to heal. It was strange to care so much about someone I didn't even know. He was part of me. The moment I caught his scent, something deep inside me shifted. He was the most important thing in my life now, his wellbeing more important than my own. It was overwhelming and scared the hell out of me. I wasn't the most affectionate or caring person. I didn't let many get very close to me, but as I held Brett against my chest, I was sure there would be no secrets between us, nothing I wouldn't tell him. I just needed him to accept our mating and face that he wasn't alone.
"Let Cohen rewrap his eyes, then you can take him to rest. I'm sure you two have a lot to discuss anyway." Kurt smiled. "I'm glad you both found each other."
Brett sighed.
I kissed his neck softly. "We'll figure it out." I understood how scary being suddenly blind probably was. It was something I couldn't even begin to imagine. I didn't have the first clue how to make things easier for Brett, but as his mate, it was my job to find a way. I wanted to kill whoever did this to him. I would have wanted to anyway as Bridger had been a member of the pack, but having it be my mate who was hurt made it personal. Once I was sure Brett was safe and healing, I would do everything in my power to find whoever did this to him.
"Lean forward for me, Brett." Cohen kneeled beside him. "I'm going to wrap your eyes again. Keep this on until I take it off. I'll contact an ophthalmologist I know who will be able to help. I don't know much about this kind of stuff, so until I can get him here, don't touch your face." Cohen looked at me.
I understood he was telling me to keep an eye on him. I had no clue what the damage was or how to treat it. I had to trust Cohen to guide me when it came to anything Brett needed medically.
"You'll feel stronger in the morning, but shifting again should help take away the last bit of ache and pain from the attack. Bayne has my number if you need anything. Don't hesitate to call me if something feels off. With the condition you were in, you're lucky to be alive," Cohen told Brett.
"Right, so lucky," Brett grumbled. "You should have let me die."
I growled, unable to hold my wolf back.
"Easy, Bayne." Kurt watched me closely. "Brett, I know this is going to be a challenge, but you'll overcome it. My father knew a wolf who was born blind. He had a good life. You will too once you get used to it."
"I don't want to get used to it." Brett tried to pull back, but Cohen gripped his shoulder, keeping him in place.
"Hold still. I'm almost done." Cohen finished wrapping the gauze around Brett's head. "Do you think you can eat?"
Brett shook his head no.
"Have Corta bring something for both of us, please." I looked at Kurt.
"Do you want to call your family?" Cohen asked.
"No, I don't want them to see me like this." Brett pulled away from me.
My wolf whimpered at the loss of him in our arms. It was shocking how much I needed him beside me. It was overwhelming to have someone suddenly become such a huge part of my life. I wasn't sure how to handle the feelings stirring inside me. I wanted to demand he stay in my arms and I never wanted to let go.
"When you are ready, you can make the call, but you need to make it, or I will. I can't let your pack wonder what happened to you if you don't make contact. Bridger's family told me you were from the Bear River Pack in Utah, right?"
Brett didn't answer.
I was sure Kurt was just letting Brett know that he knew where he'd come from, confirming that he could and would call if Brett didn't.
"Finding your mate can be a bit overwhelming. I suggest you two rest tonight, then take tomorrow to talk. Don't try and force things." Kurt narrowed his eyes at me. "Let it happen naturally. I know it's hard, but it's the easiest way."
The easiest way would be for us to rush to the bedroom and commence with the mating ritual right away. I didn't want to wait. I wanted Brett bound to me in every way possible. As hard as it was going to be, Kurt was right. I needed to let Brett take his time with this. The mating ritual wouldn't work unless both wanted it to. I couldn't force this. Brett needed to want me the same way I wanted him, and while I was sure he felt the pull and connection between us, it was clear he wasn't ready to mate.
I had to wonder what it would have been like if we'd met under different circumstances. If he hadn't been injured and so scared. I'd dreamed of finding my mate, but I'd always seen it as an instant attraction, instant claiming. Scenting each other across a room and rushing off like crazed fools to the nearest place we could consummate our mating.
"I'll be by in the morning to check on you. Call me if you need anything at all." Cohen stood. "Bayne, there is more gauze and bandages in that bottom drawer should you need to replace the bandage at any point, but keep the eyes covered. You don't want anything getting into the eye sockets."
"Thanks." I pushed up, then placed my hand on Brett's shoulder. "Let me show you where you can sleep?"
"Not like I have a choice." Brett slowly stood.
Kurt gave me a sympathetic look. "Corta will bring food shortly. I'll let you two know if I find out anything more."
I nodded. "Thanks." Gently placing my hand on Brett's back, I asked him, "how is this going to be easiest for you?"
"A gun to my head would work."
I growled and reached for his hand. "I'll lead you."
I reached down, picked my backpack up off the ground, and opened the door. Ignoring the looks from the other wolves, I led Brett toward one of the bedrooms. I picked one on the main floor, so he didn't have to deal with stairs.
I needed to think about everything now. I had to think as if I were blind, so I could be one step ahead, making sure Brett would be okay, and things would be as simple for him as I could make them.
The rooms on the main floor were usually used for prisoners or wolves who were losing control. There were bars on the windows, and the doors were reinforced. It didn't matter. Brett wouldn't see that it wasn't a normal room. There was a bathroom in each room, so we would have all we could need for the night. I just wanted him to rest and try and come to terms with both his blindness and our mating.
Once in the room, I shut the door. "The bed is about five feet directly in front of you. The bathroom is four feet from the other side of the bed." I wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
"Thanks." Brett slowly shuffled his feet forward, going to the bed. Once there, he turned and sat down. "I'm sorry you have to babysit me."
I closed the distance between us in one stride. "I am not babysitting. Don't tell me you don't feel the mating bond between us. You can't ignore it. It's too strong. I never dreamed it would feel this way. I feel like if I am more than ten feet from you I might lose my mind. I don't know how people handle this. I want to kill anyone who gets near you, looks at you, even thinks your name."
"I feel it, but I'm not going to make you stay with a disabled wolf the rest of your life. Had we met a week ago, I'd give in to what I feel, but now, it's not fair for you to be bound to a blind mate." Brett sighed as he lay back on the bed. "I'm sorry Fate did this to you."
I climbed over him, straddling him as I braced my hands on either side of his neck. "Let's get one thing straight. I don’t care that you are blind, just like I wouldn’t care if you were deaf, mute or missing your legs. I don't care what condition you are in. You are my mate. That means you are perfect for me just how you are. Fate doesn't get this wrong. It never has. You know your history as well as I do. Fate puts us together. Fate knows what we need and desire. You are for me, I am for you. The sooner you deal with that, the sooner you know I'm not walking away from this, the sooner we can be happy together." I leaned down and licked up the side of his neck, enjoying the swift intake of breath Brett made. "Feel that? It's us. We can't find that feeling with any other. I've searched years for it. Now that I found it, I'm not letting go."
Brett lay still beneath me. "You can't force me."
"No, I can't. But I can stay with you and show you just how good it can be between us. I can show you that we are better together than apart. I can wait for you to see what I do."
Brett laughed. "Don't you get it? I'll never see again. I won't see anything."
"Not all seeing is done with the eyes." I bent closer. "I want to kiss you."
"It won't change how I feel." His hands fisted at his side, but he licked his lips as if anticipating my kiss.
I moved a little closer, just so he could barely feel the whisper of my lips against his own. "I'm going to show you how good we can be." My lips pressed to his and it was like everything that had been missing in my life suddenly snapped into place. The rightness of this was overwhelming.
Brett had to have felt it too, because his body tensed beneath me, and his arms came up around me, encasing my body as he pulled me down so our bodies were flush. His lips moved against mine, opening as I licked his mouth, seeking entry.
It took only seconds for us both to harden, our cocks pressing against each other. I fought to keep from grinding against him, reminding myself he'd been injured and needed to recover before we took things too far.
I forced myself to pull back, my heart racing as I stared down at him. "I'm not going to tell you this is going to be easy, but I am telling you it's right. I'm here with you. I won't leave. Together we'll figure his all out."
He nodded, but didn't speak.
I rolled off him, staying close by his side. "I know you're still dealing with being attacked, and I'd be just as scared and angry as you are if it had happened to me. I won't even begin to tell you I understand what you feel, because I don't. I can't. But I do know I am going be by your side as we learn how to get through this. You aren't alone."
Brett sighed. "Why did you have to show up in my life now?"
I smiled as I brushed my fingers down his arm. "Probably because you needed me."
A knock on the door had me climbing out of the bed. "It's probably just Corta with food." I hurried and opened the door.
Corta grinned at me. "Bayne, good to see you. Kurt said you and your mate needed to eat. Is it true?"
I nodded. "It's true, Corta. I found my mate."
"Thank God. You of all people deserve the happiness that comes from having a mate by your side." She handed the tray of food to me. "I look forward to meeting…" She sniffed hard as if catching his scent. "Him, I look forward to meeting him when he's ready. Just set the dishes outside the door and I'll pick them up later."
"Thanks, Corta." I wanted to hug her, but with the tray in my hands, I couldn't. "We'll probably be down for breakfast in the morning."
"It'll be ready." She turned and walked away.
As I shut the door, I glanced back at the bed to find Brett sitting up. "Think you can follow my voice and come to the table and eat?" I set the tray down on the small table near the window.
"I'm not very hungry."
Even though we'd just met, there was enough of a bond between us that I could feel his emotions and some physical aspects of him. He was tired, scared, and hungry. "From what you said, you haven't eaten in days. I don't care if you shift and eat this steak or come over and keep me company and eat in human form, but you need to eat. I'm not going to let you starve yourself. If you'd rather raw meat, I can get that for you too, but I promise that you'll love Corta's porterhouse and her fried potatoes are to die for."
He hugged his stomach.
I set the food up on the table and went to him. Bending down in front of him, I cupped his face. "Come eat with me. After, if you're okay with me staying with you, we can shift and let our wolves curl up on the bed together." My wolf was begging to come forward and meet his mate.
"I can't see to eat. I can't even cut my steak." Brett's voice was a soft whisper filled with shame.
"You know what? That's okay. It's going to take time. Why don't I set everything on the floor and we can shift to eat? Then you don't have to worry about table manners or cutting your steak into perfect chunks. Hell, as far as I'm concerned you can pick it up and eat with your hands if you want." I just wanted to know he had food in his stomach before we went to sleep.
"I'd like to shift."
"Okay, let me fill the bowl with water for us, then I'll set the food down. We'll shift together."
He blew out a long, nervous breath. "Thanks."
I set about getting everything ready. Sooner or later he would have to learn how to do things, but tonight, with everything so fresh, I didn't want to push anything. I was happy just having him with me. After a good meal and a good night's sleep, hopefully things would seem better in the morning.